Hand-made jumper : Sister E M Callaghan, Australian Army Nursing Service (Lark Force)

Hand knitted and dyed pullover in pale green. The body and sleeves are made of hand woven cotton-wool knitted in stocking-stitch interspersed with lines of cable pattern. The cuffs and basque are of fine ply wool, of a different shade of green, that appears to have been professionally dyed, knitted in 2 x 2 rib. The boat shaped neck is lined with two pieces of cotton (one side is plain and one side is of striped seersucker weave) and is secured by a press stud on each side. The entire jumper, including the neck lining, was hand dyed with a vegetable dye before the cuffs and basque were added. The dyed parts have faded from exposure to light but the original blue/green colour can be seen on the inside of the garment. It is not known whether the cuffs and basque were part of the original design - they appear to have been added at a later date, possibly when the additional fine green wool became available, as they have been knitted on to the previously finished edge of the woven cotton.

Associated with Sister Eileen Mary Callaghan, Australian Army Nursing Service. She was one of six nurses who were serving with the 2/10 Field Ambulance in Lark Force at Rabaul. All of them were captured and imprisoned in Japan. The jumper was made by her while she was in a prisoner of war camp in Japan.